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Operating systems between computers
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 10:41 am
by Etoh*the*Greato
Alright, so I've been looking at getting a new gaming computer. I've been avoiding the big box companies because I want something non-proprietary that I can upgrade when I feel like it. At the same time, I'm tired of just building myself because I've found that I actually like having warranties when I need them. So, I'm looking at budget gaming systems. One of the places I've found has the OS optional.
Would I be able to just take the hard drive from my existing system, plug it in to the new one, and be good to go? I believe what I have is SATA. It's certainly old enough to be. Is that compatible with SATA II setups?
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 1:53 pm
by Kaligraphic
Recent Microsoft OSes do not easily support being moved from machine to machine like that. Windows Product Activation is designed specifically to prevent people from doing exactly that.
While that isn't necessarily a show-stopper, I'll note that unless you have a full retail version of your operating system, you may not be able to legally transfer it to another computer. OEM licenses, for instance, are typically limited to the computer they ship with.
As to warranties on build-it-yourself machines, you should still be covered by the parts manufacturers' warranties.
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 4:25 pm
by blkmage
Probably not. You'd be taking your current installation, with all of your drivers, and shoving it into a computer with completely different hardware, which requires different drivers. Windows would probably not like that very much.
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 8:03 pm
by Etoh*the*Greato
With XP, a shift of drivers was not normally an issue. If I changed out a bunch of parts at once I knew I could boot it up and install drivers at my leisure. I do have an OEM but it was an OEM I purchased myself, so I wasn't sure about licenses.
The thought was that I'd be technically keeping it as the same computer if I kept the main HD the same.
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:09 pm
by Gabriel 9.0
Is there are a Fry's Electronics near your location?
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:25 pm
by Etoh*the*Greato
nope
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 7:34 am
by Saj
Ive done that before, build a computer and slap in my HDD from the old one into the new one, and it worked. However the computer was unstable, and i ended up formatting.
Ur best bet is to back up everything that matters and format when you setup the new compy. Or if you get a new HDD, set up the old one as a slave and transfer everything over.
Also SATA II is backwards compatible with SATA I, both on the mobo and the drive.